The present application relates to other new and improved systems for providing satellite signals to receivers and television sets located at various positions within a building or community, including, for example, a private houses or multiple dwelling units.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a known system for delivering satellite signals from multiple satellites to satellite receivers attached to television sets. In FIG. 1 there is provided a four-way multiswitch 10 which has four inputs 12A, 14A, 12B, and 14B which are connected to satellite receiving antennas labeled Sat. A and Sat. B in FIG. 1. Each antenna provides signals of right-hand circular polarization and left-hand circular polarization. These signals are provided to input satellite terminals 12A, 14A, 12B, and 14B of switch 10. Switch 10 has four output terminals labeled 16A through 16D, each of which is connected to a respective satellite receiver 18A to 18D and a respective television set receiver 20A to 20D. The four-way multiswitch 10 is arranged to connect the signal from any of the outputs of each satellite antenna to a respective satellite receiver 18, so that the person using each television set can view signals on a channel which is broadcast by either satellite A or satellite B on either polarization from the satellite.
FIG. 2 shows a known arrangement wherein a 6×4 multiswitch 22 is used to connect signals from three satellite antennas, labeled Sat A, Sat B, and Sat C to any of four satellite receivers 18A to 18D and the associated television sets 20A to 20D. One characteristic of the prior art represented by FIGS. 1 and 2 is that a separate cable is required interconnecting the satellite system, including the multiswitch, with each satellite receiver of the system.
The use of separate cables can be a problem in connection with providing satellite signals to multiple locations within a house or a multiple dwelling unit. In particular, most of the multiple dwelling units are provided with a single cable run from a common utility room to the tenant's units. The routing of additional cables to provide independent satellite signals as well as off-air broadcast signals to television sets throughout a building is inconvenient in requiring the routing of cables through walls, etc. to each room that has a satellite receiver.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved arrangements for providing satellite television signals over a shared television signal delivery system, such as a master antenna television system.